1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for the production of a high-strength sintered ceramic article having titanium diboride and silicon carbide as main components thereof and more particularly to such a sintered ceramic article suitable for use as a material for valves, cocks, vessels and pipes requiring high resistance to chemicals and gases, for cutting tools, and for burners, fireproof furnace parts, furnace core tubes and other components used in high-temperature environments.
2. Prior Art Statement
Titanium diboride does not sinter easily and the sintered article thereof is low in toughness. U.S. Application Ser. No. 07/319,716 (corresponding to Japanese Patent Application SHO 63(1988)-114,399) teaches a method for overcoming these drawbacks of titanium diboride. The method consists essentially of mixing titanium diboride with silicon carbide and sintering the resultant mixture in a molded form, thereby producing a sintered composite article. The sintered composite article obtained by this method exhibits higher toughness than a sintered article of only titanium diboride. It nevertheless has an unsolved problem regarding sintering property. There is a strong need from the practical point of view of overcoming this problem.